Alcohol and Pathophysiology

Abstract

It is known that moderate alcohol consumption prevents arteriosclerosis and decreases the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases. However, it is also known that organ dysfunction due to long-term excessive alcohol consumption involves the whole body and causes various organ dysfunctions. The WHO (World Health Organization) has indicated that alcohol consumption has been identified as a component cause for more than 200 diseases, injuries, and other health conditions with ICD-10 codes. Also, in recent years, various alcohol biomarkers effective for diagnosis have been developed. The findings about alcohol-related disorders in the organs and alcohol biomarkers are very helpful in not only clinical practice but also the legal medicine field. This chapter outlines the pathogenic mechanism and clinical condition of alcohol-related disorders in each organ system and alcohol biomarkers useful for diagnosis.